Within the hour, the couple was circling the block of their new potential home, calling their real estate agent to see whether they could tour the house the next day. Two days later, they made an offer, securing the $295,000 five-bedroom home near Nederland High School.

"We went back and forth a few times with the owner on price, but they told me they had someone else interested in the house, someone who would pay cash," said DeJohn, 37. "I didn't want to lose it. If I lost that house, I didn't know how long it would take to find another."

Anyone eager to buy a home this spring probably has reasons to feel good. The job market is solid. Average pay is rising. Mortgage rates, even after edging up of late, are still near historic lows.

Then there's the bad news: Just try to find a house.

"It's the equivalent of Black Friday right now for buyers," said local Keller Williams real estate agent Samantha Moore. "Especially in high-demand places like Lumberton and Mid-County, those houses sometimes stay on the market for less than a day."